Photo Shoot with Nora Tadic

Photo Taken by Nora Tadic for more photos visit Pilgrimage Dance on Facebook

Houston Ballet presents Contemporary Masters

Photo taken from our seats at the CWM Pavilion

Last Friday, my husband and I went to see the Houston Ballet perform it's "Contemporary Masters" ensemble at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion. whew... that's a mouthful! It displayed beautifully the company's range of classical, traditional ballet along with the very inventive, contemporary forms of dance.

My favorite piece of the evening was called "Falling Angels" choreographed by Jirí Kylián. It was profound and provoking. I felt like I was watching a montage of the beauty and ugly in all of us. The dancers were so graceful and elegant, yet, they pushed the image of the pretty ballerina in a very human way. They went through discoveries on the stage for instance showing movements where they put their arms inside their leotards resembling bearing a child. It took the audience on a journey through a life and the strife for perfection one feels. With the women on stage fighting themselves for something unattainable, I watched a theme for perfection come alive.

The lighting was simple, but magnificent. I am not entirely sure of the how, but I know Joop Caboort the lighting designer did a fantastic job. There seemed to be strips of light on the stage in different locations at different times of the solo sections. It helped highlight the soloist, but more interesting actually was when the other dancers moved in the darkness with bits of them slipping into the light. It was so simple, yet, radiant. The light bounced off the dancers when they would enter the light adding a heightened awareness to the performers in the background along with the soloist.

It was such an enjoyable evening. I find that going to the ballet turns me into a kid at Christmas. When we first arrived at the pavilion, I was nearly jumping with excitement. The seats were free too! We sat in the grass seats just on the outskirts of the pavilion which is huge. I wasn't so sure at first how it would effect the view of the performance being so far from the stage, but I soon realized with the first piece what amazing seats we had. As the dancers on stage twirled and dipped, the kids that were sitting all around the grassy area of the arena got up and began dancing on their own. It certainly wasn't expected from the performance, but watching the little girls and boys look to the stage and then try their own moves was very touching. I felt so lucky to have the opportunity to see the Houston Ballet perform, and would gladly go again.

Married, Moved, and More...

Just sitting in our one bedroom apt in Tomball, Tx., I thought I would take some time to type.

Where did the past year go? It has been an absolute whirl wind. Last year around this time, I was working at the Grad School office at UWM getting ready for my last semester, preparing a Pilgrimage Dance workshop Step Up Style, and feeling about the same as I do now -- excited, anxious, stressed, happy. If I have learned anything about myself, it is that I am never and always content with life. It makes for some confusion, but it certainly brings about great adventures.

I still can't believe I have graduated from college with a Dance BA. It's probably the most crazy event when I think about it, and I thought about not attending the ceremony which was actually a pleasure! I would love to go on to grad school at some point, but really want/need to focus on paying off the slightly massive amount of dept I have ensued over the years. Oh goodness, when I first received my loan bills this past month, I definately had a moment of anxiety. I really believe I can work through it all. I have to! Still, school was well worth all of the loans and papers and exams and performances because it has instilled in me the ability to dream and explore.

Now... right after graduation, I busted out the wedding binder, and got to work. Wow! Never want to plan a wedding ever again...

It was an incredible day when it came (July 23, 2011). Really it's been unbelievable, and I love being able to say that I am married to my bestest friend who happens to light up my world. The ceremony was far more than I had imagined, and the after party was a blast. The Wedding night ended with both of us wanting to do it all over again the next day.

One week later... Texas!

We moved into an apartment just North of Houston in a town called Tomball. Work and the sense of adventure brought us here, and even though it is scorching out now, I can't wait to call friends and family in February to hear how the weather is in Wisconsin!

Cruel? Maybe, but they can always visit! We actually have a decent sized living room that is connected to the dinning room and kitchen. It is a very open setup. And probably the biggest perk is that there is a little nook in the kitchen for the washer and dryer! Oh.... and a walk in closet in the bedroom! Love! I'm just looking around, and it is already starting to feel like home. I've already hung up some artwork pieces, and we have some food in the fridge, dishes in the cabinets, and clothes in the closet.

Next on the events to come is to infiltrate the dance community here in houston! There are free seats to the Houston Ballet performance this Friday at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion. I have been checking them out for the past months along with other dance companies, and I am thrilled to explore them more in person. I don't know where Pilgrimage Dance will go from here, but I very much so wish to continue on my endeavors of sharing dance here in Texas. It is a huge challenge, but one that I am willing to work hard at achieving.

Ok... Sharing a little bit of the wedding bash. My apologies for being a little pitchy, but what can I say Tina Turner is kind of tough!